Another
by fearlessgoddess2
Summary: Gaia finds another like her...but because of all her bad experiences, will she let her in?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Gaia stuffed the entire donut in her mouth, stifling her craving. She polished off the last donut in her bag and crumpled the paper up, dropping it in the metal garbage can chained to a pole. Gaia walked off of the lit path of Washington Square Park and into the shadows. Where were all the muggers and rapists tonight? Was it their day off or something?

Her muscles ached for a fight. She needed to kick some ass. She needed to feel the rush of adrenaline through her system. She needed her fix. But, no, she was able to walk all the way to the other side of the park and out onto the street without so much as a rustle in the bushes.

Gaia walked down the street, passing the occasional pedestrian. What else could she do? Go back to the boarding house? Yea. Right. Be stuck in the same building as crackhead Zan and an OCD house mother. That's pure joy right there.

She started to wonder, once again, if there was another girl like her. Someone else fearless. Someone else with a psycho uncle, a criminal mastermind grandfather, a dad in the CIA, and a mother who'd been murdered when she was twelve. Her life in a nutshell. If so, she would really like to talk to them. Ask them what their life is like. How they attempt to go about it normally. What _they_ would do if they were in her position. She found nothing to do but aimlessly walk around.

What time was it anyway? Gaia checked her watch. 11:25. Ed would still be up. It wasn't _that_ late. But Gaia would need to find a pay phone. She didn't own a cell phone. She despised them actually. Why carry something around that can interrupt you at any given moment?

Spotting a lonely phone booth on the other side of the dark street, Gaia walked across. She dug into her pockets for some change. Any change. Nothing in her sweatshirt. Nothing in her jeans. She didn't carry a purse. A bag sometimes, although not when she went ass-kicking. Thinking of herself with a pink Tiffany's bag almost made her laugh out loud. It wouldn't quite match her jeans and sweatshirt. She tried the back pocket of her jeans and managed to fish out the change from the donuts.

But just before she went into the booth, she heard the answer to her pathetic prayers from behind her. Quiet footsteps and a couple seconds later a knife point at the back of her neck.

"Give me your wallet." A smile crept across her face. She turned around, trying to put on her best scared face, to face her assailant. He was a young guy, lower twenties, and was attempting to be threatening by holding the sharp knife up to her throat. Gaia blinked slowly. "I said give me your wallet."

"Oh, I'll give it to you." With that, Gaia grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it, hard. He cried out and his knife clattered to the ground. She snapped her fist up to his jaw in an uppercut and finished him off with a flying kick to the side of his head. He fell to the ground, unconscious, as Gaia landed gracefully on both feet, snatching up the blade. She smiled with satisfaction. _That felt good._

But, annoyingly, the darkness started to sneak up on her. Even with the tiniest fight like that, she had to feel faint. She went into the phone booth and leaned against the glass, closing her eyes. After a couple of seconds, she managed to stay fully conscious and opened them again. She looked around the phone booth and saw a ledge at the top. She stuck the knife on it, out of sight.

Bored once again, she went back into her pocket for the quarters.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Ed flopped down on his bed. He looked over to his left and picked up his remote from his bedside table, pointing it at the television and pressing the ON button.

_"-amazing quality of the-."_

_"-ever want to-."_

_"-tonight at ten-."_

Flipping through the channels, Ed shifted his position on his bed. Just then, the phone rang. He looked at the clock and smiled. Only one person knew he was up at this hour and felt comfortable calling. He put the television on mute and picked up the cordless, pressing the button with the small telephone on it.

"Edwardo's Pizzeria," he said in a deep voice.

"Three large pepperoni's."

"Hey, Gaia."

"I'm bored."

"Go play chess with some late nighter."

"Zolov isn't there. Nobody else but a freak and some guy that I could beat with my eyes closed."

"Sucks."

"There aren't any muggers in the park tonight. The best I could do was a wuss with a knife."

"My deepest sympathies."

"Let's see…You're watching television."

"How'd you guess?" Ed asked, putting the TV on mute.

"I'm bored."

"You just said that. So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Chatting is fun."

"Fine by me. What'd you get on the calculus test?"

"This is chatting?"

"It is for me."

"65."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"You're a genius," Ed replied. "Why did you fail?"

"I did about half the test and then daydreamed about you for the rest of the period." Ed smiled. He needed a good dose of Gaia

"Well, I'm very sorry that my incredible good looks are impacting your grades." Gaia laughed. Ed smiled again. He liked it when he made her laugh.

"How's _Victoria_?" Gaia teased. Ed groaned.

"Ugh. Don't even get me started. I'm counting the minutes until she leaves."

_"Please deposit ten cents."_

"I've got to get you a cell phone."

"I don't want one," Gaia told him, slipping in another quarter. "The only thing they're good for is annoying people who are sitting in the movie theater with you."

"They're also good for calling your best friend."

"So are pay phones." Ed let silence envelop the line for a few seconds.

"So you want her?" he asked.

"Who?"

"Victoria."

"Oh, trust me, she wouldn't stand a day being my sister." Ed laughed.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" He turned off the television after he finished flipping through all of the channels twice. "You should see her at the dinner table. You've met my mom. Can you imagine her listening to Victoria talk about _fashion _for twenty minutes?"

"That would be entertaining," Gaia replied. "I was just thinking of how I would look with a pink Tiffany's bag."

"That's an interesting thought. But the entertaining thing about those two is watching them try to make civilized conversation. I just sit back and watch the action. If I could change three things about my family, at least one of them would be about my sister. So what would you want your family to be like if you could program them?"

Ed suddenly stopped and there was only the nearly inaudible sound of static on the other end of the line. He suddenly realized that he wasn't just talking to one of his guy friends.

That was pretty easy to do. Gaia was just as easy to talk to as any of his other friends. Except she wasn't any of his other friends. She had such a complicated life that Ed didn't think he'd be able to fully comprehend it if she sat down and explained it to him for twenty-four hours.

Ed let out a quiet, long breath and was trying to think of what to say when Gaia finally broke the silence.

"Hey, what happened to the no questions rule?" she asked, trying to act nonchalant. Ed let out a long breath. He hated how strained her voice sounded.

"Yea. Sorry." That sounded really lame. "Well…"

"Yea, I guess I'll see you tomorrow in school." Ed cringed. He didn't want to hang up. Could they just talk for a while longer? Another few minutes? Hours?

"I guess. Bye." Gaia hung up and Ed let the phone fall onto his shoulder without hanging up, sighing.

Gaia hung the phone back on the hook, holding on to it for a few seconds before letting go. She left the phone booth and saw that the spot the mugger had been five minutes before was now empty. She smirked. Nothing better in the world than showing them they could never count on a young blonde being helpless.

Gaia spun on her heel and headed in the opposite direction, begrudgingly setting the brownstone as her destination. She allowed herself the opportunity of passing through the park once more. Very slowly.

She twirled her hair around her finger, attempting to look innocent. Not something she was good at, but all she needed to do was seem spacey. She could do it in school. Why not here?

Just then, the flutter of a shadow caught her eye. She didn't falter her rhythmic steps, only shifted her gaze slightly to the right. She was no less than shocked at what she saw.

A girl, who couldn't have been older than fifteen, was standing in the shadows of Washington Square Park. _What is she, crazy?_ Gaia suddenly realized that the shadow she'd spotted wasn't the girl's. _Oh, of course the mugger has to choose_ her. Ignoring how ridiculous the thought sounded, Gaia changed her course slowly toward the girl, who was leaning against a tree, studying her fingernails.

She turned out to be quite pretty, actually with sleek brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and a face that slightly resembled Paris Hilton. Perfectly innocent. So what the hell was she doing at Washington Square Park at night? Gaia quickened her steps as the mugger got within three feet of the girl. But as soon as he swung a heavy arm around her neck and tightened it, something happened that stopped Gaia right in her tracks.

The girl snapped her elbow into his solar plexus and, as he let go, spun around with startling speed, slamming her fist into his stomach. The strength she emitted was very surprising for a girl her size. She slammed her foot into his groin and jumped into the air, cracking him in the side of the head with a roundhouse kick, and dropped to the ground, landing gracefully on both feet with her hands in a defensive position. He fell to the ground, unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Gaia realized that her jaw was hanging open as she stared at the girl in shock. _What the hell was that?_ The girl turned and walked the other way, stretching her arms forward and backward. Without giving it a second thought, Gaia made her way quickly across the small distance that separated them.

The girl kept walking and glanced at her watch before pushing some extra strands of hair behind her ears. Gaia pushed her speed to a brisk walk to catch up to the girl. But as soon as she caught up to her and put her hand on the girl's shoulder with a quick, "Hey," the girl spun around and grabbed her wrist, using Gaia's weight against herself and flipped her over her shoulder. Gaia's back hit the pavement. Hard. _Stupid. Should have seen that coming._

Gaia ignored the pain and rolled into a crouched position before standing up and taking a fighting stance. The girl took a step backwards, slightly startled at the fact that Gaia could fight, before she flew forward and struck. Gaia easily blocked the fist and kept up her defense as the girl threw punch after punch and swinging combination kicks one after another. Shins connected with forearms. Fists slid through the air.

Gaia was very impressed. This girl obviously knew what she was doing. But the fighting was pointless. As talented as this girl was, and even though she could definitely hold her own against a couple of skinheads, Gaia's training was better. And the irritating blackout was going to be coming more forcefully if she didn't end this. And she definitely didn't want to pass out right now. So Gaia swept the girl's feet out from under her, grabbing her arm and twisted it behind her, subdued the girl against the ground.

"Get off me bitch," she growled, flailing her legs and trying to scissor Gaia's. Gaia let go of the girl's arms, and she rolled to the side and into a standing position, shifting into a fighting stance.

"Give me a break." The girl lowered her arms and relaxed her muscles. "You fight pretty well." The girl snorted as she brushed herself off, eyeing Gaia. She folded her arms and let out a long breath.

"So who the hell are you?" Gaia blinked a couple times, quickly.

"I'm…ah…I…got to sit down…" Gaia stumbled to the right and landed on the grass.

"Are you ok?" the girl asked worriedly, dropping to her side. _She barrages me with roundhouses and then she asks if I'm ok. _Gaia nodded. "You sure?" She managed another nod. Gaia didn't fight the blackout. She knew she couldn't. It would come anyway. Fighting it would be useless. "You sure you're ok?" Gaia lay still for a couple more seconds before she felt the energy slowly flowing back into her limbs. She opened her eyes and sat up, taking in and letting out a deep breath.

"And who are you?" The girl looked at her oddly.

"So…you're _sure_ you're ok?" she repeated. Gaia nodded.

"Just happens to me after combat," she told her, standing up. The girl nodded slowly.

"Yea…ok. So who are you? Where'd you learn to fight?"

"I could ask you the same questions. Never saw you around these parts before."

"Just moved from Queens."

"And where'd _you_ learn to fight?" asked Gaia.

"What's it to you?" the girl retorted. Gaia looked the girl over and couldn't help but smile. She realized who the girl reminded her of. Angry. Strong. Self-sufficient.

Herself.

"What're you smiling at?" she spat.

"The name's Gaia." The girl hesitated.

"Chrissy."

"So. Where'd you learn to fight, Chrissy?" She bit her lip.

"Uncle. He taught me when I was younger so I could protect myself." Gaia's face went slack. Uncle. Taught her how to fight. Weird. Too weird. She looked around the park, as if Loki would be there. Coincidences rarely happened in her life. "What're you looking for?"

"Nothing. Um…any particular reason your dad taught you?" Chrissy shrugged.

"Just wanted me to be safe."

"How's he know so much about martial arts?"

"Grew up in Brooklyn. Learned street fighting. Soon as he got to eighteen he got the hell out of there and got himself some real training." Gaia nodded slowly and paused for a second, thinking.

"I was impressed with the way you handled the mugger."

"Thanks," she replied. Chrissy walked over to a bench under a lamp and Gaia followed, taking a seat beside her. "So where'd you learn?"

"Dad." The girl made an affirmative grunt.

"So what're you doing here in the park nearly at midnight?" Gaia shrugged in response.

"Same thing I do every night I do nearly at midnight. Kick some ass." Chrissy eyed her warily.

"So you just come out here to…fight?"

"Yea. Pretty much. How about you? Same?" Gaia saw the girl swallow and held back a smile.

This was so funny. It was like mini-Gaia. This girl, an expert in martial arts, came to the park to beat up the muggers, just like she did. She had finally found another freak like herself. _Another freak similar myself. Wow, that's flattering._ Gaia couldn't help but smile again.

"What's so funny?" Gaia shook her head.

"Nothing's funny. It's just…so you just come here to fight too?" The girl shrugged.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Well, that's what I did in Queens."

"How come?" The girl pondered the question for a moment.

"I'm good at it." Gaia stared into space, thinking.

"What school are you going to?"

"East Village."

"Same."

"Cool." Gaia decided to ask the magic question. The question that Jake had asked her. The question to which the only answer she could come up with was lame.

"So…what do you do for fun?" The girl stared at her.

"Fun? Um…I don't know. Chess?" Gaia pursed her lips and stood up.

"Ok. Who are you working for?" The girl furrowed her eyebrows.

"What?"

"Who are you working for?" Gaia asked, drawing out the words. The girl looked at her oddly and stood up also.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know how to fight. You come to the park to kick ass," Gaia told her, counting off the points on her fingers. "Your uncle taught you martial arts. You go to the same school as me. And you love chess. Coincidences very, very rarely happen to me. Who. Are. You. Working. For? Loki? Yuri? The Organization in general?" The girl shook her head and looked at Gaia as if she were an alien life form.

"Whatever. Psycho," she muttered under her breath, turning and walking away. Gaia thought about the expression on Chrissy's face. Was it really possible that this girl was just a good fighter? That she wasn't one of the many people out to kill her or steal and duplicate her fearless genes? That she wasn't out to make her life a living hell? Weirder things had happened to her.

"Wait," Gaia called out, walking over to her. Chrissy turned around, eyeing her. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't usually come upon…people that…let's just say I've had a lot of people in my life that have betrayed my trust." The girl's face seemed to soften a bit and she nodded.

"Yea. I can understand that." Gaia stared at the girl, studying her for a few seconds. D. was another thing, but this girl…this was something else. This was just really weird. Hadn't she just been wondering what someone like her would be doing at this time of night?


	4. Chapter 4

**MEMO**

From: K24

To: L

Subject observed with teenage girl, C. C displayed above average martial arts training when forced to defend herself against an assailant. Description: brown hair, 5'6", 15 years old. Subject was hostile and suspicious toward C at first due to similarities in traits and characteristics, accusing her of working with L, Y, or O, but put minor trust in her when the girl lost interest.

**MEMO**

From: L

To: K24

Very interesting information. Gather more information about C. Do not confront or interfere. Exercise caution while pursuing. Slightly unnerving that Subject was quick to name names. Report back.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"Uno, due, e…" Each kid in the class raised a piece of paper, on it written what number they thought was correct. Gaia made sure she was wrong. No use in giving the teacher a reason to call on her. "Vitoria? Why tre?"

"Um…I kind of just guessed." Gaia traced the number on her paper over and over, making it thicker. Finally, the bell rang.

"Domani, we will have a quiz on the present subjunctive." Gaia ignored the warning and left the classroom, binder in hand. She dodged the other kids in the hallway and got to her locker, spinning the combination before yanking it open. She pushed the papers in her locker aside so she could stick her binder in. Someone leaned against the locker next to hers.

"Hey." Gaia looked to the right and met Ed's gaze.

"Hey," she replied. "I'm ditching. You want to take a trip to Gray's after school today?" He shrugged.

"I guess. Hey, did you hear about Meghan?" Gaia raised an eyebrow.

"Well she wasn't in calculus. But you know me well enough to know I take no interest in gossip. So this better be ridiculously out of the ordinary," she told him, closing her locker and starting down the hallway.

"She's going to live with her mom in Paris."

"_What?_" she asked, stunned. "Wow. When did this rumor start?"

"Just yesterday. And it's not a rumor. I know it for a fact. Heather e-mailed me." Gaia let out a long breath.

"Geez. First Heather. Then Meghan. The FOH's are losing all their top members. The world as we know it is crashing down around us," she muttered, seeming more interested in her watch than the information. "I have to say I'm so glad to see her go."

Just then, down the hall, a foot was stuck in front of a girl who was staring intensely at a piece of paper and she tripped, falling to the ground and causing laughter to ripple through several of the kids around her. She grabbed her paper and Gaia saw a guy dash in front of her and help her up. She yanked herself out of his grip.

"I am _so_ sorry," he said mockingly. She glared at him.

"Yea right." A few more lines were exchanged while Gaia and Ed watched.

"Jackass," he muttered.

"That's Craig what's-his-face, right?" Ed nodded.

"Yea. Craig what's-his-face." The girl tried to make her way around Craig what's-his-face, but he moved back and forth to block her path.

"Get the hell out of my way," she growled

"Why the profanity? All I want is to be friends." Ed looked to Gaia.

"You going to help? Nice excuse to kick his ass." Gaia shook her head slowly.

"The girl can take care of herself." Ed looked confused.

"What?" At that, the guy jokingly slid his arm around her shoulder. He didn't have time to react before she used the hand on the same arm to grab his wrist and twisted around, giving him a perfectly aimed kick to the side of his right knee. He cried out and fell to the floor. The girl simply walked around Craig and pretending he didn't exist.

"How did you know that she…" Ed's voice trailed off as the girl made her way toward them, looking at the numbers on classroom doors.

Gaia bit her lip. This was a very new emotion for her. There hadn't been any reason to feel it before. _Pride._ It was weird. She actually felt proud of Chrissy defending herself. And not just because the guy was a jerk, but because Chrissy was so much like her, and Gaia would have done exactly the same thing were she in her position.

Chrissy's eyes met Gaia's for a moment before they went downward to the floor as she walked past her. Was she ignoring her? Was she embarrassed? Gaia's attitude relaxed as she realized that the girl wasn't sure if Gaia wanted to be seen talking to her. It was entertaining to think that the girl thought she could ruin Gaia's non-existing social status.

Gaia went after her and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Chrissy." She spun around, surprised. "What room are you looking for?"

"Um…531."

"Wrong way. 500 wing is that way," she told her, pointing to a right turn she'd just missed. Chrissy smiled, almost shyly.

"Thanks." Ed walked over.

"You two know each other?" he asked, surprised. Gaia nodded.

"Just met, actually. At the _park_," she told him. "Right after I'd called you yesterday." Ed thought for a moment, confused.

"But that was at…" His eyes widened. "Wow. And she could…Geez, I never believed in fate before, but…" Gaia shrugged.

"Fate's a load of bullshit. You know that coincidences rarely happen to me, so I finally got one."

"Well," Ed sighed. "You still planning on ditching? Because if so I'll see you later cause I just remembered mom'll kill me if I don't take this one math test that I'm going to fail." Gaia thought for a second.

"Yea. I'm just going to walk her to class," Gaia replied.

"Whatever. See you later. We can meet at Gray's at 3:00?" Gaia nodded.

"Sure." Ed made his way down the hallway. Gaia glanced to Chrissy. And thought about what had just happened. She isn't ditching school right away because she's going to walk some sophomore to class? What was going on with her? She never gave a damn about anything. Until it came to Sam and Ed, at least. And her dad. But aside from them, there really wasn't much.

"Come on," Gaia murmured, walking around the corner. Chrissy picked up her pace to keep up as the bell rang.

"You don't actually have to do this," she told her. "I'm sure you have better things to do." Gaia laughed.

"That's a good one. Better things like what? Work on my roundhouses? You think I have any kind of a social life? Yea. Right." Chrissy was silent for a couple of seconds.

"He's really cute," Chrissy said suddenly. "Are you two, like, an item?"

"Yup," Gaia replied with a wink. Chrissy smiled. _What is _wrong_ with me? I'm smiling. Practically acting normal. I _winked _at her when I told her that Ed and I are a couple?_ The smile finally dropped off her face. _I have to stop. Remember what your life is like, Gaia. Remember that whenever you try to enjoy something, it's just taken away. Or killed._

"Here's your classroom," Gaia told her, pointing it out. "Actually, I am going to ditch. I'll see you later ok?"

"Sure," Chrissy replied. "Thanks." She started into her classroom and Gaia thought for a second.

"Hey." Chrissy stopped and turned around.

"Yea?"

"You want to hang with me and Ed after school?" Chrissy's face lit up.

"Yea. That'd be great. Later."

"Bye." Chrissy walked into her classroom and walked up to her teacher as Gaia walked down the hall to one of the staircase exits. She tried to just think about the fact that she'd met another girl like her, one that fought in the park just for fun, who pushed back when guys pushed her around in the hallway, who loved chess. And who thought Ed was cute.

But all she could think about was all the people that had betrayed her. And tried to kill her. Dear old Uncle Oliver. Or, rather, Loki, criminal mastermind who, it turned out, had murdered her mother. Natasha and Tatiana. Relatives too, actually. Aunt and cousin. Tried to kill her _and_ her father. Two for one special. David, Loki's freak protégé. Ella, foster-mother who worked for Loki. First supposed to protect her. Then tried to kill her. Then gave her life for Gaia. Talk about indecisive. But ended up only being another person manipulated by Loki. George. Just about a ditto.

And, her heart sinking, she remembered Mary. Holding her as she died. The life draining from her eyes. And Sam. How he looked in the forest that day when Loki finally let him free. Half dead from the lack of sugar in his bloodstream. Then, his life ruined because of Ella. His friend Mike, dead from Ella's syringe. And Heather. Another one of Loki's lab rats. Tricked into being given the fearless serum and nearly dying because of it, in the end becoming blind.

And her mother. The death that started the Curse of Gaia.

Gaia stopped outside the building, leaning against the brick wall. Maybe Chrissy would be better off just staying away from her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Gaia sat at the table, staring at the crumbs from pastries eaten by the previous customers there. She breathed in and out a long breath before looking up to Ed.

"Gaia? Are you ok?"

"I have to talk to you about something." He winced. "What?"

"That wasn't a good, 'I have to talk to you about something.'" Gaia shook her head.

"No, I just have a bit of a…problem." He leaned back.

"Usually your problems involve a little more than the average person's."

"It's about Chrissy." He thought for a second.

"Ok, well she's a nice kid. So what's the problem?"

"The problem is…" Gaia sighed. "The problem is I'm not sure if I can be friends with her." Ed brought his eyebrows together.

"Why?" he asked.

"It's just…with you, it's different. Because you know about all my shit. Almost all of it. And Chrissy…" Ed slid his hand across the table and put it on hers.

"I get it. I know that you want to protect her. But pushing her away isn't going to do that. You tried it with me and it didn't work." Gaia took back her hand.

"You don't know that, Ed," she told him.

"I fought back. And I'm sitting here, aren't I?"

"But you don't know. It could have saved your life. I don't know if Oliver was watching me. And–."

"You can't do this to yourself." Gaia looked up from her hands.

"I don't like people telling me what to do," she mumbled, the words slightly laced with sarcasm.

"Well I'm different. And I'm telling you that she's just a kid. You should be friends with her. You guys have so much in common and–."

"Exactly," she said softly. "She's just a kid. I think I should just tell her to leave me alone. It'll save us both a lot of pain."

"How do you know that?" he asked, leaning forward. "You've been acting totally un-Gaia-like. Did you notice that?" She nodded.

"Yea. I did. I just don't want to be friends. Because I've tried that before, remember? Several times."

"But it was different with–." Ed stopped as a shadow cast on their table. The two looked up to Chrissy, who was standing beside them, staring at Gaia. She looked crushed.

"How much did you hear?" Gaia asked quickly. Chrissy shook her head.

"Just enough. You don't have to be my friend if you don't want to." She started to walk away, but Ed grabbed her wrist.

"Wait." Chrissy looked back to him in surprise and Ed gently let go. "That's not what she wants." He shifted his gaze back to Gaia, who was gritting her teeth.

"You don't know what I want. You're wrong." She turned to Chrissy, keeping her face stiff. "You should leave."

"Gaia," Ed snapped. She shifted her angry eyes to him. "This isn't Mary or Heather," he whispered. "You can't do this forever." A lump suddenly lodged itself in her throat and tears started to burn her eyes.

"I have to go," she murmured. Quickly blinking away the tears, Gaia jumped up from her seat and bolted out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Gaia ran as fast as she could. She didn't stop after five blocks. Or ten. She ran through the street, despite the signs, as long as cars weren't pulling in or out. If they were, she turned the corner to keep running. Her legs started to hurt and her lungs started to burn, but she didn't care. Finally, she slowed to a walk and stumbled into an alley.

"Why do you do this to me?" she screamed at the sky. Gaia leaned against the brick wall of an apartment and her sweatshirt caught on the roughness as she slowly slid down to the dirty cement. Tears started to form on her eyelids. She hated to cry. But somehow, she couldn't help it this time.

Suddenly, she heard the squealing of bike tires and she looked to the right.

"My God, Gaia, you trying to run from yourself?" Chrissy put her kickstand down, slightly out of breath, and started to walk over. Gaia gnashed her teeth together angrily. _Doesn't this girl give up?_

"No. Just from you." Chrissy stopped.

"I doubt this is about me." Gaia looked away.

"Leave me alone," she whispered. Chrissy walked over and sat down next to her.

"Why?" Gaia's blood boiled. She jumped to her feet.

"Leave me the hell alone!" she screamed down at Chrissy. She flinched slightly and Gaia turned, walking back down the alley. Chrissy stood up and slowly followed her.

"Why?" Gaia suddenly found it hard to swallow.

"There's a reason I don't have friends."

"Ed's your friend."

"Ed's different. He knows–." Gaia cut herself off and sat back down on the ground, leaning against the wall. Chrissy annoyingly took a seat next to her again.

"He knows what?" Gaia sighed. _The_ _girl really just doesn't give up._

"He knows how dangerous it is to be my friend. You don't get it. Everyone that gets close to me gets hurt."

"Pushing them away isn't the solution," Chrissy told her. Gaia slowly shook her head.

"You don't get it. You can't. You don't know anything."

"Then tell me." Gaia looked over into Chrissy's eyes. They looked gentle and understanding. Gaia crossed her arms tightly around herself.

"My father's in the CIA," she whispered. "And…and…my mother…when I was twelve…"

"You don't have to say it," Chrissy murmured.

"Sam and Ed and…Mary…" Gaia choked over the last name. "They all got hurt because of me. And I can't tell you why. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't." Chrissy nodded.

"Ok." Silence sat between them for a few moments. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"Not from them."

"Who? Loki and Yuri and the Organization?" Gaia snapped her head around to Chrissy.

"How the hell do you know them?" she hissed through narrowed eyes.

"You told me, remember?" Gaia thought for a second, confused. "When we first met in the park? You thought I was working for them?" Gaia's face went slack.

"Oh yea." She sighed again and hit herself on the head with her closed fist a few times. "I cannot believe I told you that…"

"I don't know anything else about them," Chrissy told her. "I'm just pretty sure that if your father's in the CIA that they are some pretty bad guys." Gaia snorted.

"You could say that." They were quiet again for a few moments.

"Gaia, I really like you. I like the fact that we get along so well and I like the fact that we have so much in common. What I don't like is you pushing me away because of something like this. If something happens, it's going to be because of me. Not you. _I'm_ the stubborn kid who fought her way into your life. _I _was the one that didn't let you push me away. If anything happens, it's on _me_." Gaia pursed her lips.

"Fine." Chrissy leaned over and took Gaia in a hug.

"Now you have two friends."


	8. Chapter 8 Email

**MEMO**

From: K24

To: L

**Extremely urgent information. There was mention of L, Y and O, by name by C.**

Subject was seen with E. Subject was opposed to forming friendship with C because of past experiences. E opposed her decision and C entered the scene, overhearing. Subject ran from both E and C. C pursued Subject and convinced her that she wanted friendship despite the possible consequences. C confronted Subject about L, Y, and O. Subject **did not** disclose any further information and C was only informed of the above because Subject had accused her of being employed. Please advise.

**MEMO**

From: L

To: K24

I will take care of C myself.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Chrissy shifted her backpack on her shoulders as she walked past the New Yorkers. Since Gaia had told her to meet her at the back entrance to cut lunch and go to Krispy Kreme, she'd gone last night to make sure she knew what she was ordering. It sounded lame when she thought about it, but she wanted to make sure Gaia didn't think she was a weak New Yorker, so she wanted to know where they were going.

Just then, Chrissy heard someone murmur her name. She turned and saw a man, who looked to be in his mid-forties, leaning against a wooden pole in a work area that was hidden behind white covers. She narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"Can I speak with you for a minute?" Chrissy pursed her lips. Yea. She was going to follow a man she didn't know away from a crowd and into an isolated area.

"Sure." She didn't move.

"In private?" he asked quietly.

"No."

"It is quite an urgent matter." The man breezed his arm past his jacket, revealing, just for a moment, a .32 caliber gun. Chrissy stopped breathing for a second, but then forced herself to intake air. The man had a gun. And he was pretty much threatening her with it.

_You know who this is about. You got yourself into this, Chrissy. Gaia told you there were some dangerous people around her. You were the one that didn't care._ Chrissy forced herself to continue breathing, thinking quickly what she could do. "I just want to talk. We don't have to if you don't want to," he said. "But I am very good at disappearing if need be." The way he spoke was almost whispery, nearly inaudible over the New York noises.

Chrissy didn't see any other choices, she could run, but he would probably shoot her in the back. She assumed it was the purpose of him telling her he was good at disappearing. And she could always fight back if he tried something. She nodded and gradually walked past him into the secluded area behind the tarps.

The man sat down on a pile of extra wood. The site was empty of any workers and seemed eerily dangerous to Chrissy. He motioned to a stack of wood across from him and she slowly sat down, letting her backpack drop to the ground beside her.

"What do you want?" she murmured softly.

"What could you tell me about Gaia?" Chrissy hesitated.

"She's a good chess player." He pursed his lips.

"Anything else? How about that conversation you had with her yesterday?" She swallowed.

"Which one?"

"After you'd caught up to her when she'd run from you and Ed." Chrissy found it disturbing that he'd known exactly what had happened, as if he'd been right there and a shiver ran down her spine. _Find a way out. Find a way out._

"I didn't learn much from it."

"Don't bullshit me," he whispered. "I'm not one to take it. You know about a few things you shouldn't, don't you?"

"Like what?" He leaned forward suddenly from his statue-like stance and she flinched.

"You know what I'm talking about. You're a smart girl." Chrissy bit the inside of her cheek. She realized that she really couldn't play dumb if he'd listened to everything they'd said, no matter how he'd done it. She'd have to be honest.

"Fine. Yea, I know some names. But as you heard, she didn't say anything else. She didn't want to. She just wanted to protect me. She's had a couple of past experiences that have hurt her. Although she didn't even tell me what. Do you plan to kill me because of what she told me?" He sighed.

"I don't want to. But I'm afraid she trusts you too much." Chrissy's chest tightened. "So you have a choice." She relaxed slightly. "You can continue to see Gaia, talk to her, hang out with her, or you can leave." She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Leave? As in New York City? Could I at least say good-bye?"

"As in New York City. Maybe even the state. As long as you've left. And no, you can't say good-bye." Chrissy suddenly thought of her mom and her gaze dropped to the ground. She'd just moved here because of the generous job offer she'd gotten. How could she tell her that they had to leave? "You don't have to worry about your mother agreeing with you. I've had her fired already." Chrissy suddenly looked up to meet his gaze angrily.

"You leave her alone or I swear to God I'll kick your ass." The man smiled, but there was no warmth behind it.

"I'd like to see you try." Chrissy swallowed. "I'm giving you an opportunity here. Are you taking it?" Obviously, Chrissy was going to take it. She didn't want to die. Then he took out his gun and, seemingly nonchalantly, put it on the ground in front of him. She stood up and started to back toward the way she'd come in. He stood up as well.

As soon as he did, Chrissy instinctively fell into a fighting stance. A smile flickered across his face.

"You want to fight?" She gnashed her teeth together. Did she want to fight? That was a very good question. It depended on how good a fighter he was. He could be cruddy or he could kick her ass. Gaia had. She thought for a second for a good bargaining chip. She knew he wouldn't let her stay. But she knew he also didn't want her saying good-bye.

"If I win, you let me see Gaia one last time. I won't say anything important. I just want to tell her I'm ok. If you win, I leave right away." His face was blank.

"If you say so." He took a fighting stance as well.

Chrissy didn't want to make the first move. So she kept herself completely aware of his position, his exact stance, every motion he made. They took step by careful step, circling around. She was ready for anything he threw at her. Or so she thought.

He suddenly lunged forward. It was less of a lunge and more of a strike. And after the first strike, almost like lightening smacking her on the side of her head, forcing her to stumble back, she knew she was out of her league. She might be a good fighter, but he was better. He was fast. Faster than anyone she had ever fought. Faster than she thought anyone she'd ever fight.

But she knew she had to keep fighting. For Gaia. She couldn't just give up. She'd never given up in a fight. And she didn't plan to start now.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Gaia walked down the street, on her way to meet Chrissy at Krispy Kreme. She wasn't sure if she'd ever graduate from high school. It seemed so useless and so completely boring. She was a genius. She knew that, but apparently it didn't count if she didn't graduate. Just then, she heard someone talking. It wasn't just the bustling people of New York City; she knew that voice. It was Chrissy.

Gaia narrowed her eyes and blessed her incredible hearing. Halfway down the block, she stopped, putting her ear against a crack in the flap of the plastic curtains shielding the construction site.

"You want to fight?"

"If I win, you let me see Gaia one last time. I won't say anything important. I just want to tell her I'm ok. If you win, I leave right away."

"If you say so." Gaia's eyes widened. _No._ She suddenly bolted around the side of the construction site, dropping her backpack, uncaring about any of her schoolwork, and found a back entrance. As soon as she got to the opposite side, away from other pedestrians, after knocking down several people, she halted at another flap in the curtain and peaked in, moving it ever so slightly.

And what she saw made her blood boil.

She saw who it was. And she couldn't believe it. Sam had been right. Oliver couldn't do this. He wouldn't. This must be Loki. After everything that had happened, Loki was going through all this trouble to keep her secrets secret. God forbid she tell someone about what happened that night.

Gaia suddenly hated herself for what she'd done to Sam. After she thought that Oliver was completely back to normal, and she knew he had been, he'd wanted to make amends. And she'd made Sam go to meet him. Then Sam had freaked out. And it was understandable. Loki had kidnapped him, among other things. But he had been right. Loki was back.

Gaia's muscles tightened angrily and she gnashed her teeth together as she saw Loki hit her hard on the side of her head. After forcing herself to wait until he had circled around three steps, when his back was to her, she and leapt inside the area. The arena. That's what it was. She was going to fight him and she didn't care how badly she hurt him. Because nothing she did could ever make up for what he'd put her through. It wasn't Oliver anymore. She could finally beat up Loki.

A flying kick smacked him in the back, catching him off guard, and he fell to the ground with a grunt. Gaia fell into a strong fighting stance.

"Chrissy, back off," she ordered, keeping her gaze locked on her uncle. "Why are you doing this?" Gaia hissed to Loki. He looked up to her before he swept her legs out from under her, bringing her down to his level before he stood up. She gnashed her teeth as she fell to the ground. He stood up, glaring at her for a moment, before he started to walk away. She stood as well.

"Why?" she yelled. He turned around.

"There is no way something like this is happening again. I couldn't stand when it happened with Mary. You named names so quickly with Chrissy and you cannot do that. Confiding in someone like this…" Gaia suddenly couldn't hear him anymore. She stopped breathing. She could only stare into his cold, hard eyes.

This definitely wasn't Oliver. This was Loki. And he had just admitted to killing Mary.

Gaia took in a quick breath before tightening her position and attacking. She threw punch after angry punch. The mercy her father had taught her was completely gone from her mind. Any leniency she would have given to a punk in Washington Square Park was gone. She only thought of one thing: the facts that her uncle himself had given her. The training he had used. What she had learned at the Soldier's and Sailor's Monument.

_Keep your combat strong…fight…until your enemy is dead…_

He blocked the strikes quickly, but the adrenaline Gaia was pumped with gave her strength like she had never had before. Round-house kicks. Left hooks. Right hooks. Some strategies that she had only used while training with him when she was six.

He had a firm expression on his face and did his best to defend and attack as well. Gaia remembered when she thought she'd been fighting someone Skizz, Mary's drug dealer, had hired. And she realized now that it had been Loki. All along, it had been him. And she'd almost beaten him, but she realized that Mary was dying so she had to go to be with her.

After so much fighting, and after him even striking back, attempting to subdue her, Gaia knew that she could win. She knew that, even though Oliver would always win at combat with her father, she could win against him. She had anger in her that she'd never known before. And, although her father had told her that anger could hinder her combat skills, she controlled it. And propelled it into strength.

And finally she got the opportunity that she'd been looking for. She grabbed his wrist and slammed her elbow into his stomach before snapping up her knee, simultaneously snapping his arm down. She heard the crack he was looking for before flipping him over her shoulder.

The slashing dragon. The one move that her father had been horrified Loki had taught her when he'd taken her out of kindergarten lunch to train her.

He hit the ground hard, but she wasn't done. She picked him up by his shirt and punched him in his stomach and his face, time after time. He finally fell, unable to get up, making a feeble attempt to block off the attack.

And that's when Gaia saw the gun.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

It was sitting on the dirty floor to her left. She walked over and picked it up before walking back over to Loki and aiming the gun at his head.

"Gaia, don't," Chrissy whispered, walking toward her quickly. She saw that the gun still had the safety on and that it wasn't too late. Chrissy swallowed hard as Gaia shot her a murderous gaze.

"He hurt Ed. He hurt Heather. He hurt Sam. He hurt you. He killed Mary. He tried to kill me. He tried to kill my father. And he killed…my…_mother_," Gaia stated in a monotone voice. Chrissy looked down to Gaia's uncle, who was bloodied and only half conscious, before looking back to her. Gaia didn't lower the gun. And Chrissy opened her mouth to speak. What came out shocked even her. She had never told anyone her secret. And she'd never planned on it. But what Gaia had told her deserved something in return.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Chrissy asked. Gaia pursed her lips.

"I've come close. Mary's drug dealer. I thought he was the one that had killed her." Chrissy didn't blink.

"I have." Gaia slowly started to lower the gun.

"What?"

"I killed someone once. That's why we moved to New York City. We needed to start fresh. It's a long, tedious story, but basically what had happened was, when I was thirteen, my younger sister was hit by a car and killed. My father blamed my mother. So my father hit my mother. Every day he hit my mother. And every day he hit me. And every day my mother told me it was her fault. Every day my father told me it was my mother's fault. I tried to hit him back, but he was good at martial arts too. I could never subdue him."

"But that was before I got older and realized it wasn't. I told the police. But they didn't do anything. They had no proof, apparently. That's because my father was a police officer. A model citizen, they said. He knew people. And he made sure they left him alone. And one day, he beat my mother so badly she was sent to the hospital. An accident, he said." By this time, Gaia had lowered the gun to her side.

"So a year ago, every day, for hours and hours, I sat in his bedroom at the safe he kept his gun in. I turned the dial back and forth, keeping track of what I did every time. It took me a very, very long time, but I finally got the combination. And once he came home from work on that day and put it in the safe, when he went to take a shower I took it out."

"And when he came into the room, I shot him."

Gaia was silent for a few moments before Chrissy continued. "You don't want to kill him. He's hurt you and people you love more than I can imagine, but you have no idea…what it's like…to kill someone. To take their life away. Now give me the gun." Chrissy leaned forward slowly when Gaia didn't move and took the gun gently from her hand, holding it by the barrel.

Chrissy looked to Gaia's uncle, who was passed out, before she took Gaia's hand and guided her over to get her backpack. She slung it over her shoulder, not knowing and not really caring where Gaia's was, before she started to put some distance between the two of them and Loki in the construction area.

That was when Gaia's eyes slowly closed, her legs gave out from under her, and she fell to the ground.

Chrissy had been holding Gaia's hand, so she didn't fall hard, and Chrissy lowered her to the ground. And she sat beside her, holding her hand. She knew that after she fought she passed out for a bit. Then Chrissy realized that she was still holding gun. She looked to the man before she looked back to Gaia. She knew that she could shoot him if he woke before Gaia did. But she doubted that he would try to hurt her. Not after what Gaia had done. She wasn't even sure if he would be able to do anything because she wasn't sure how hurt he was. So she laid it on the ground, keeping the safety on, and kneeled beside Gaia, waiting for her to wake up.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Gaia shifted slightly and her hand felt the rough ground around her. She narrowed her eyes before opening them slowly, squinting at the sun, and she felt hands helping her to sit up. Her muscles felt tingly and she knew that she was waking up from a fight. And when she looked to Chrissy, she remembered what had happened.

Gaia quickly looked to her right and saw that her uncle was still unconscious.

"How long was I out?" Gaia asked.

"Not long. About a minute." She sighed before she looked back to Chrissy.

"I'm sorry." She narrowed her eyes.

"What are you sorry for? He's the one that threatened me."

"I'm sorry for being your friend. And telling you my secrets. That's what caused all of this." Chrissy shook her head.

"That is not what caused all of this. _He _caused all of this," she said, pointing to Loki. "I'm not sure if he's Yuri or your uncle or your father or Loki or someone from the Organization or…whatever. It doesn't matter. Whoever he is, you almost killed him. And even though he's hurt you and the people you love, and I'm sure countless other people, you shouldn't kill him. He should be killed by a lethal injection." Gaia nodded.

"You're right," she whispered. She looked to Loki for a second before she held her hand out to Chrissy. "I need your cell phone." Chrissy nodded before taking it out of her backpack. Gaia called 911.

"911. Please state the nature of your emergency."

"Central Intelligence Agency. Code Bluebell 24," Gaia murmured.

"Understood." There was a click on the phone.

"Central Intelligence Agency."

"Eight-two-nine-nine-five-one-four."

"Go ahead, ma'am."

"Contact SAC Rodriguez in New York. Tell him we have Oliver Moore in custody, unconscious," Gaia said. "Corner of 3nd and 11th Street in a construction area."

"Yes, ma'am." As the phone disconnected, Gaia hung up.

"Give it four minutes," she told her. Chrissy nodded.

"Ok." They were silent for a few moments.

"Are you going to leave New York?" Gaia asked quietly. Chrissy took her hand.

"Not on your life." Surprising even herself, Gaia took Chrissy in a strong hug.

The girls had waited for two minutes before Loki stirred. Gaia tensed before picking up the gun as he sat up, rubbing his neck. He didn't flinch as he saw the gun. Gaia knew what he was thinking. He knew that one day he would be staring down the barrel of a gun before it released the bullet that killed him.

"I'm not going to shoot you unless you try to run," Gaia told him. "And you of all people should know that I have very good aim." He nodded.

"Gaia…I need help," he whispered.

"Yea, no shit," she told him.

"Did you call the Agency?"

"What do you think?" Gaia spat. "Surprisingly, if it wasn't for Chrissy here, you'd be dead." He pursed his lips and looked to Chrissy, who refused to meet his gaze. He nodded.

"I know."

The next few minutes passed before Federal Agents came into the construction area, guns drawn.

"Put your hands on your head, Oliver."

"It's not Oliver," Gaia said, staring her uncle straight in the eye. "It's Loki."

"Gaia…" Oliver murmured, putting his hands on the back of his head. "It's not Loki anymore…I'm so sorry–."

"Stop it," she ordered. "Just stop it. I don't give a damn who the hell you are. Whoever you are, just shut up." Oliver looked at the ground before standing up as an agent took his hands behind his back. Just then, SAC Rodriguez walked into the area, his gun in his hand as well.

"Gaia," he said, motioning to the gun in her hands. She nodded.

"Gladly," she replied, handing it over. "Safety's still on." He nodded and put his gun back in his holster before taking the gun out of hers. He smoothly slipped out the magazine and it dropped out into his hands before he put it and the gun in separate pockets of his jacket. Gaia didn't look at the gun. She looked at Oliver, being put into handcuffs, staring at the ground.

"You have to come with us to tell us what happened." Gaia pursed her lips and nodded as Loki was escorted out to a black FBI van. Rodriguez motioned to Chrissy. "Do we have to worry about her?" Gaia shook her head.

"She won't say anything. It's a long, complicated story, but I'll tell you."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

"And I probably would have killed him if Chrissy hadn't stopped me." The interrogator nodded, writing down notes of what Gaia said. Gaia kept talking, leaving out nothing of importance and nothing not of importance. She knew she shouldn't bother to lie to them. The higher agents were nearly lie detectors themselves.

"So I passed out and Chrissy stayed with me for–."

"You passed out?" he asked, cocking his head. Gaia nodded.

"Happens to me after combat. So Chrissy stayed with me for a minute before I woke up. I called 911 and here we are." He nodded, finishing up the notes on his pad of paper. Gaia could tell that he was given the easy job of simply asking her questions that she answered easily, without coaxing or prodding. "Can I see Chrissy yet?"

Gaia knew that Chrissy was in another interrogation room, being asked the same questions. She also knew that they planned on merging both stories, making sure there weren't any contradictions. That's why she'd told Chrissy to tell the entire truth just before they'd parted. The man nodded.

"I'll go get her." Gaia sat in the metal chair as he left the room before Rodriguez walked in.

"What's going to happen to him?" Gaia asked, obviously referring to Loki.

"He confessed to everything. And he's still talking. At the moment, he's Oliver. At least that's what he says. And we're pretty sure that he is because Loki would never talk. Unless he's working an angle." Gaia shrugged.

"I don't know anymore. Did you contact my father?" He shook his head.

"We will soon, but he's on a mission in Mexico and we can't contact him at the moment." He sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I know. I tend to cause a lot of trouble." He shook his head, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Loki is not your responsibility. He's ours. I'm worried about him escaping from the prison. It's not as if he hasn't before. We're transporting him to Alcatraz as soon as he gets convicted, which we know he will. We'll hold him in a maximum security jail for now, so you can rest easy, but we can't forget the incident when he was last sent to prison."

"The fire," Gaia said, nodding. Gaia remembered that the last time Loki had been in prison, he'd started a fire and a look-alike had been left in his cell. He'd left in a firefighter's suit so nobody could see his face and escaped in an ambulance with his men, who'd been waiting for him. "And what's going to happen to Chrissy?"

"We believe that she would never tell anyone what happened. Especially after Loki threatened her life just because she knew some names." Gaia nodded, looking at the floor to her left. "I just said he isn't your responsibility. Do you believe me?" She nodded again, meeting his gaze.

"I'm fearless, not stupid. But you can't tell me that if I didn't exist a lot of this would never have happened." Rodriguez opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him. "And I'm not saying that it was my decision to be born. I'm just stating the obvious." He pursed his lips and nodded.

"Yea. I'm not going to bother arguing on that one. It's an argument I'd lose." Gaia sighed, slouching in her chair.

"Can I go now?" He shook his head.

"We just finished interrogating Chrissy and we need to–."

"Merge the stories. I know. I was wondering how long that takes." He shook his head again.

"Not long." He stood up. "I'll go get Chrissy though." Gaia nodded.

"Thanks." She waited as he left the room and Chrissy came in. Gaia motioned to the chair across from herself and Chrissy sat down. They didn't say anything for a few moments.

"So what happens now? I've never been interrogated by the FBI." Gaia didn't smile.

"Now you forget what happened. We never talk about it again. We never talk about Loki. Or…Oliver."

"Isn't Loki–."

"Yea," Gaia interrupted. "Yes and no." Chrissy nodded, understandingly.

"Ok." They were silent again. "But what happens now?"

"I get chauffeured in an off-duty Bu car back to the boarding school from hell and you go back to your house." Chrissy hesitated.

"He said that he got my mom fired so I wouldn't have any ties back to New York City." Gaia tensed and nodded.

"I'll talk to Rodriguez and get him to straighten it out."


End file.
